Auxiliary car-step



W. C. McFEELY.

AUXILIARY CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1920.

1,393,893. Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

lLlllllW/ X Y INVENTOR: William 6.2121 06 Ly.

V V ATTORNEYJ)- UNITED STATES v WILLIAM G. MCFEELY, NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUXILIARY CAR-STEP.

Application filed December 20, 1920.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM C. MOFEELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auxiliary Car-Steps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,'clear and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in car steps and particularly to auxiliary folding steps for the flights of railway cars.

One object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary step for the bottom of the flight of steps of a railway car which can be easily and quickly lowered and which will automatically latch itself in lowered position.

Another object is to provide such an auxiliary step which will automatically return to folded position when the latch is released.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a flight of car steps showing the auxiliary step in lowered position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the means for elevating and lowering the auxiliary step.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the step in lowered position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2 to show the slot and operating stem of the raising and l0wering mechanism.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing, 10 and 11 represent the side portions of the flight of steps 12 of a railway car, and 13 the lowermost step of the flight.

Secured to and spaced from the outer face of the side member or plate 11, is a plate 14, between which plates 11 and 14 is disposed the side plate 15 of the auxiliary step 16, said plate 15 being mounted on a pivot pin 17 extending transversely between the plates and having its ends supported in said plates. To the other end of the step or tread 16 is secured a similar plate 15 Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Serial No. 431,950.

which is pivotally supported on the rear end wall of the car, as shown at 18. Formed in the side plate 14 is an obtuse angular slot 19 which ranges inwardly toward the center of the car and obliquely downward. Pivotally connected to the plate 15 is a lever 20 which extends in a general upward direction, and has a laterally extending lug or pin 21 which rides in the before-mentioned slot 19, and is adapted to be engaged by the brakema-ns foot to lower or raise the step. Formed longitudinally and transversely through the upper portion of the lever 20 is a slot 22, and in the lower end of said slot is a notch or recess 23. In this slot is arranged to slide the end portions of a transverse pin 24 carried by the outer end of a second lever 25 which is also pivotally connected to the plate 15, and which enters the lever 20 through a longitudinal slot 26 formed in one edge face of the lever 20. This slot 26, as will be seen, communicates throughout its length with the slot or slots 22.

Carried by the upper strip 27, which connects the upper ends of the plates 14 and 15, is an arm 28, the lower end of which is disposed to be engaged by the inner end portion of the lever 25 to insure the proper movement of the said lever with respect to the auxiliary step and of the lever 20.

Connected at one end to the strip 27, and at its other end to the side plate 15, is a strong spring 29 which lifts the auxiliary step up into folded position.

The auxiliary step being in raised position, as shown in Fig. 2, the brakeman steps from the car to the ground and upon turning to face the car, depresses the lug or pin 21 with his foot. The lug will move down through the slot 19, and when it reaches the bend in the slot, the pin 24 of the lever 25 will have moved through the slot 22, until it rests in the notch 23. As this movement continues the lever 25 is held within the notch 23, by the upward pull of the spring 29. As the step is moved downwardly by the foot of the operator, the spring 29 is put under tension, its normal tendency being to draw the step upwardly and rearwardly behind the fiight of steps, but this is prevented by the engagement of the pin 24 in the notch 23, while at the same time the foot piece 01' lug 21 is retained in a notch 30, formed in the lower end of the slot 19. This is clearly seen in Fig. 3. Upon engaging the foot with the member 21 and disengage ing the same from the notch 30 the spring 29 will exert its force to draw the Step upwardly and inwardly on the pivot 17. As the step is swung upwardly, under the in fluence of the spring 29, the levers 20 and 25 move together, the pin 24 being held within the notch 23, until the other end of the lever 25 strikes the lower end of the arm 28, which rocks the lever 25 so that the pin 24 becomes disengaged from the notch and rides upwardly in the slot 22. At the same time the pin 21 rides to the upper end of the slot 19, whereupon the auxiliary step is'] in folded position behind the steps of the car.

The plate 14 has an upper section 14 which is hinged to the member 27, and pro vided with means 31 for engagement with the latch 32 carried by the upper portion of the main section 14.

1 The pin 21 is threaded into a stud carried by the lever so that it may be removed to permit the section 14' to be readily raised when it is necessary to gain access to the mechanism.

What is claimed is:

The combination with the flight of steps of a railway car, of an auxiliary step pivotally carried by the flight, the side of the flight having an inclined angular slot, a lever pivotally carried by one end of the auxiliary step, a second lever pivotally carried by the said end of the auxiliary step and slidably engaging the first lever, interlock- -ing means between the levers for engage- -Inent when the step 1s 1n lowered posltlon,

and a spring for returning the step into elevated position, the interlocking means being releasable to permit the spring to act.

In testimony whereof, I affix mysignature, in the presence of two witnesses.

7 WILLIAM c. MQFEELY.

.Witnesses:v

K. F. CARTER, WOODALLEN CHAPMAN. 

